Winter's Ending
by fictionalwriter93
Summary: HYDRA has suffered a major setback. Their involvement at SHIELD is exposed, Project Insight has failed and the Winter Soldier is missing. When he encounters someone he remembers from the past, two lives are tied together by what can only be fate. But it's complicated. Bucky Barnes/OC
1. Chapter 1 - A Figure From The Past

Chaos. Everything around her was chaos. 3 hellicarriers had just fallen out of the sky, the headquarters of SHIELD were destroyed and everywhere she looked, there was panic. For Grace, this scenario was not one unimaginable, but she had never expected she would see something like this.

Grace lived in a small house in a secluded part of the forest, put there by SHIELD as protection after an encounter that had changed and nearly ended her life. That forest was next to a lake, the same lake a lot of hellicarrier had just fallen into. People had rallied around the destruction, lining the bank of the lake to look for any sign of survivors, anyone who needed their help. They had found Captain Rogers only moments before, he was safe in the hands of the agents who came to his aid. Everyone continued to check the bank of the lake for any sign of life they could find, unaware that those they could potentially be saving not so long ago would have been quite happy to wipe them off the planet had they posed a threat to their organisation, HYDRA.

"Has anyone checked the forest around here? Any sign of life?" one man asked.

"Not that I know of, everyone has been here since we arrived" another responded, "I'll take a few people with me to check if there's anything about"

Grace joined this group, she should never have been out around other people in the first place, at least she could be of help and still keep herself relatively hidden from the world. The group of 6 wandered through to a clearing where debris had crashed through the trees.

"OK guys, let's split up, if we can save anyone today, we have a better chance of doing that if we cover more ground"

General nods and sounds of agreement came from the group, and Grace was left to look alone. She didn't have to go far before she heard a noise from behind a tree near her.

"Hello?" she said timidly. She knew about HYDRA. This wouldn't be her first encounter with them, and she knew if she came across the wrong person, her safety would be gone forever. But no one responded, she moved closer to the noise cautiously ready to defend herself if it came to it. "Is anyone there? I'm only here to help, please, show yourself." Still nothing. She heard another group member coming up close to where she was standing, looking round to see who it was they seemed to have headed straight past her. Returning her gaze to the direction of the noise, she was startled by a figure standing there. A man, dressed in black, with a metal arm. He was pale and wounded.

"You." Grace exhaled. This man, she knew him, they had met before and not in the greatest of circumstances. The man's eyes became sad, full of tears, he looked like he had seen a ghost. Suddenly there was a rush of noise coming around you – other members of the group were entering your territory and you had to think fast.

"Hide!" she whispered, but the man only carried on looking at her, becoming weaker and more pitiful by the second – "Please, hide, if they see you then I can't help you, just trust me, please!" Coming out of his trance, he fell to floor out of view of the clearing in the nick of time.

"Hey, you okay?" one man called out to her. "Yes I'm fine, nothing here, but I think I saw something running over that way, I could be wrong but it's worth checking?" She had to get them away, her hidden person was running out of time and she knew it.

"We'll check it out, thanks. You okay here?" the group membered enquired. "Mhm, completely fine." And with that, they left.

Once again she was alone with this man, this soldier. Grace rushed to him and saw the extent of his injuries, he was barely conscious and she had to get him to her home.

"Hey! Stay awake for me, I know you don't know me but-"

"You died" he whispered. "They told me, y-you died. They killed you".

"You mean…you remember me? How can you remember me?" This didn't make any sense, she understood why he thought she was dead but for him to remember her was impossible. That had been made quite clear to her. This was not the time to dwell on things though; the solider was lying in front of her slowly drifting away.

"Come on, we need to get you somewhere safe, you need to work with me here. Hey! Stay awake, please just try!" Grace pulled him to his feet and helped him as best she could. She wasn't the strongest of people but her resolve to help this man gave her a strength she had never known before. It took a while and it was a struggle, but eventually they both arrived at the small place Grace called home where she lay the man down on the bed.

"It's going to be okay, I promise, it's all going to be okay." And with that, he closed his eyes and Grace took the opportunity to get to work on his wounds. She could not take her eyes off of him. He was just as beautiful as she remembered, she owed him her life and this was the time for her to repay that debt. But how did he remember her? Once she had finished patching him up, she stood and looked at him again before turning and heading towards the living room. The memories of her first encounter with the Winter Soldier had flooded back to her and the pain of them made her collapse on the sofa, tears flowing down her face, those of horror and those of joy that she had been reunited with the man she had not stopped thinking about for the last few months. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep. It was the best night's sleep she had had in what felt like a lifetime.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Beginning

_**ONE YEAR PREVIOUS...**_

She'd only gone and done it. Job interview at SHIELD, passed with flying colours and the dream job was finally hers. Grace Mills, a young girl with big dreams had always wanted to be a part of an organisation which helped the world. This was her chance and it was one she couldn't be more excited about.

"Gracie!" shouted her boyfriend of two years, Blake.

"Hey! So I have some news…I GOT THE JOB!" Grace lept forward, throwing her arms around the man she expected would share in her excitement. But he didn't hug back. She pulled away, looking at him in the eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, not understanding the look on his face. "Nothing, it's just…I won't see you anymore. Too busy saving the world now." She found it hard to believe that this was the real problem, but she had nothing else to go on.

"Blake, don't be ridiculous!" she giggled "You know how much this means to me, but it will never mean more than you. You should know that. I mean come on, you work in a division of SHIELD too and you still manage to make plenty of time for me! Nothing will change."

"Ha. I guess not. So, when do you officially start?" Blake tried to sound enthusiastic, but a plan was hatching in his head.

"Two days, so if you're worried about not having me all to yourself, you better start making use of the time now and take me for a celebratory dinner!" she tried to lighten the mood, but in her heart Blake's reaction had dampened Grace's excitement.

"Okay okay. But Grace…tomorrow, you're coming with me to see where I work. Just to see if there might be an opportunity for you in my division, you know, so we can see each other still. Deal?"

She didn't want to argue, although she was where she wanted to be there was no harm in at least going along with Blake, who knows, maybe this little trip would change the direction her life was heading in?

The next morning, Grace and Blake arrived in a building away from SHIELD HQ. To her, it looked more like an abandoned office space, nothing like the amazing place she saw in her interview and this unnerved her. But she was with Blake, she was safe and it was only his workplace after all. The reception area was unmanned and they entered the elevator together.

"Blake, is this really where you work? It looks kinda…empty."

"Wait." He replied. A small smirk on his face. Grace was becoming less and less confident as the minutes went by. Eventually they arrived on the floor Blake worked on. It was just as plain looking as the rest of the building, grey walls and old carpeted corridors that went off in all directions.

"Please I don't like this Blake, this can't be SHIELD." Her voice was betraying the panic and distrust that was growing in her mind. She had been with Blake for two years and this was the first time she had ever felt afraid around him.

"Stay here, I need to go get my boss. He wants to meet you." And with that he walked off. Grace was left alone in what seemed like an empty building with a maze of corridors taunting her. It was deadly quiet. Too quiet. She fidgeted where she stood, trying to stay rational. There was nothing to worry about, SHIELD were the good guys, no harm would come to her. At least that was the thought she comforted herself with until there was suddenly a blood curdling scream off in the distance. Grace froze, terrified, alone and unable to bring herself to move.

"Blake?!" she whispered. The scream came again. It wasn't that of her boyfriend though. Someone else was in this building and they needed help. Against all her better judgement, she started wandering down one of the corridors in search of the person in need. Her heart beat got faster with every step. The screams still came, but they became weaker. Finally, she saw a door which was different to rest, right in the middle of the building. Something wasn't right about it, it was well hidden from the outside world, but what exactly was it hiding? Just as she was about reach for the door, Grace felt a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist, violently dragging her into a room further down the corridor.

"HELP!" She tried to scream under the hand cutting off her voice. The figure slammed her against a wall in a blank empty room and held her by the throat. The hand around her neck was made of metal and its grip intensified with every passing second. She managed to lift her head enough just to make eye contact with her attacker, and in that moment, something happened. His face changed. It wasn't fierce, it was full of sadness. Her attacker let go of her throat leaving her to fall to the floor as he stumbled back a few steps.

"I'm…I'm sorry" he whispered over her coughing, he noticed she was struggling for air and tried to go towards her but she recoiled in fear. "Please I'm sorry, please, I'm so sorry". He tried to calm her and as his metal hand touched hers, Grace felt a sudden ease come over her. Her breathing returned to normal and now all she could do was stare at this man reaching out to her. He was tall, had long brown hair, looked intimidating but she saw beauty in him.

"Who are you?" she finally managed to ask. "Why did you do that? I wasn't causing any harm!"

"It's what I do" he replied coldy, as if it was an everyday thing for him. No one survived an encounter with the Winter Soldier. Killing was his business and for the first time, he could not do his job.

"You need to go, you shouldn't be here" he said.

"Believe me, I wish I wasn't! I was brought here by my boyfriend, he told me he worked here, told me to stay where I was but I heard screaming and I just…" she had burst into tears. Everything that had happened over the last few minutes had completely overwhelmed her. The soldier looked at her, not knowing what to do. He wanted to comfort her. But that wasn't what he did, he didn't feel emotion or pity, he just killed anyone he was told to or anyone who saw him. But this girl, this strange new person crying in front of him, he could not harm her.

"Please go. Go back to where you should be and forget my face. You tell no one of me and you stay safe. Forget me." And with that he lifted her to her feet and opened the door. She passed him and as she did, she stood in front of him once again the two of them looking directly into each other's eyes. She stood for a moment, as if she could read those eyes like a book.

"Thank you" she said as she hurried back to the spot where Blake had left her, making every effort to conceal the damage her tears had done to her makeup. The Winter Soldier watched her as she left and for the first time since he could remember, he had failed in his mission.

As she hurried back down the corridor, Grace saw Blake storming towards her, anger filled his face –

"Where the hell have you been?!" he shouted, she had never seen him so angry before.

"I just…someone needed some help carrying something so I you know…helped" she replied calmly so not to make a big deal out of the situation.

"Oh. Well, you shouldn't left Grace. You've missed your chance with the boss, he's too busy to wait around for you. Made me look an idiot in front of – have you been crying?" his tone suddenly changed, she could hear the suspicion in Blake's voice.

"Oh no, dust set my allergies off, stupid sneezing fit. Probably a good job your boss didn't have to see me in that state" again she was desperate to play down the situation and just get out of there as soon as she could.

"Come on Blake, I've caused enough trouble for you here, let's go home" she said smiling at him. Blake followed but the suspicion was still there in his face. That suspicion had begun eating away at him to a dangerous extent.

Grace had fallen asleep as soon as she got back to the apartment she shared with Blake that afternoon. She told him she had a migraine and had to sleep it off, but really she was trying to process everything that had happened that day. That man. That face. Those eyes. All she could think about was a man who should have killed her, for what reason she did not know, but had made a different call. Something between them saved her life. She thought about it until she fell asleep.

When she awoke the light was gone and night had fallen. She called out for Blake but there was no response, so she got up and checked every room in apartment but he was not there. Grace sat herself on the sofa and booted up her laptop, eager to distract herself from the events of the hours previous. On the news section, there was an article about a new Smithsonian exhibition – a new exhibition all about Captain America who had recently been found and returned to the world with SHIELD. Some photos of the exhibits appeared in the article, one grabbed her attention straight away. That face…she knew that face. " _PHOTO: Tribute to James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes, fallen best friend of Captain America_ " the caption read. It was him, the man she had seen, that was him. But it couldn't be, he was dead, he died 70 years ago, it simply wasn't possible. Grace had become some engrossed in her thoughts that she had not heard the door to the apartment open behind her…

"A little late night reading Gracie?" Blake asked calmly, approaching her from behind and reaching over to close the screen of the laptop.

Grace jumped; she had been completely unaware of him being there. "Oh I was just…catching up on the news" The air was tense. Something wasn't right and she knew it, Blake was still looming over her, his face calm but anger was clouding the atmosphere.

"Blake? Are you okay?"

"Shut up. Don't even talk. You've put me in a very difficult position Grace and I am not thankful for it."

"I-I don't understand, wha-what have I done?" her voice was trembling now. She was frightened. Frightened of her own boyfriend.

"Helping someone carry something huh? God you really pull me in like an idiot. You know where I've been? I've been at 'work'. Turns out there was a slight problem with your little visit today. Made a little friend didn't you" – his voice grew louder and more full of hatred with every word.

"Blake, I…I don't know what to say, I didn't mean to wander off, I was scared and then he appeared and told me to go!"

"He told you to go. Ha. He told you to _go._ The Winter Soldier let my stupid little girlfriend GO. He should have killed you there and then! No one survives seeing the Winter Soldier, no one! Why did he not kill you huh? Is he working for SHIELD now is that it? Betrayed us?! Or was it you? Did you do something? DO YOU KNOW HIM?!" Blake was throwing things around the room, his anger had peaked and he was now out of control.

"What the hell do you mean 'betrayed you'?! We all work for SHIELD, he just let me go nothing else happened!"

"Oh Gracie. You're so naïve. So innocent. Perfect candidate for SHIELD. Me however, I am so much better. Which is why I work for HYDRA" Blake said with a smile on his face. An evil smile.

"What the hell are you saying?" this was impossible. HYDRA was gone, long gone. You didn't believe a word he said but the hatred within him was making the thought less unbelievable.

"My boss is the leader of HYDRA. Also in charge of SHIELD. So I guess SHIELD isn't really SHIELD. Funny that, the people you were so desperate to work for are actually the people who have put that fear in your sweet little face. And I'm only telling you this because I've now got to do what HE didn't. He thinks he saved you, he's only given you a few more hours. And he'll be made fully aware of that fact once I'm finished here" at this point Blake pulled a gun a pointed it at Grace. She froze and the tears began to roll down her cheeks again, this could not be happening, Blake had morphed into a completely different person.

"Blake, please, please don't do this, I am _begging_ you!" she pleaded desperately.

"No choice sweetheart. You did this to yourself. I'll pass your regards on to Winter, I'm sure he'll be allowed to stew in the knowledge the only person he ever saved died anyway. Goodbye Gracie"

A gunshot. Sirens. Darkness.


	3. Chapter 3 - A New Direction

Grace awoke early the next morning. She had slept on the sofa and it took her a few moments to remember why – of course, she had the Winter Soldier lying injured in her room. Approaching the door, she quietly opened it to check on her guest. He was awake, sitting up in the bed, staring out of the window.

"Hey" Grace said softly, not wanting to break the peacefulness in his face.

"Is this what heaven looks like? Am I free?" he replied, his gaze did not move an inch from the window.

"No, this isn't heaven. This is my home. But you are free. I think. HYDRA have been pretty much taken out, they don't control you anymore. Can I get you anything?"

"No. But you can tell me something" he turned and looked at Grace, no change in his face – "How are you still alive?"

"Long story" Grace replied.

"I think I've got time" he said with a small laugh, looking at the condition he was in he had nowhere to go anytime soon.

Grace moved over to the bed and sat herself on the end, too nervous to get close to him – "Well, they made the mistake of thinking Blake was good with a gun for a start. He fired it yes but it didn't kill me. Almost, but not quite. They also didn't bother to check he'd finished the job, they just assumed I had been 'taken care of'. At this point Grace revealed a scar just below her shoulder where the badly aimed bullet had hit her. "The bullet ended up just missing somewhere which would've done a lot more damage, I lost a hell of a lot of blood and my heart slowed enough to make me seem…gone. Living in an apartment, after the gunshot it didn't take long for the police and ambulance teams to be on the scene and luckily, they got to me in time. It took a while, but I came round and well, here I am. Alive, happy enough and well"

"And they never found out? You've never been…hurt since?"

"Nope, I was starting at SHIELD the next day; turns out they get worried when a new recruit doesn't turn up for their first day! They came looking for me, found me in the hospital and I told them what I could remember – now this is my safe house. No one really knows I'm here except the agent who visits every few days, and Tony who pays me a visit now and then, but no one else"

"Who's Tony?" the solider asked, a slight hint of nerves in his voice.

"Out of everything I just told you, you're worried about Tony? That's sweet. Tony Stark, we met a few years ago, he's just a friend" she said through a smile, this comment of his allowed her to hope the way she was starting to feel about this man was mutual. "So, my turn to ask a question. Why didn't you kill me when you should have done?"

"I don't know" he lowered his eyes. This person in front of him was so good and innocent, talking about death around her made him uncomfortable.

"Blake told me nobody ever escapes you…so why did you just let me go?" she had to know, it had been the one thing on her mind since she awoke from her ordeal.

"I just…I couldn't harm you. Your eyes seemed familiar. I recognised something, but I don't know what, I don't remember anything more" there was sadness in his voice once more.

"What happened to you?" Grace asked, Blake had made it clear to her at the time that he would be made to suffer.

"They wiped my memory. I think they've done it before, I don't know how many times. It's like I've only been alive since yesterday when I got my new mission. It was always just about the missions"

"Then how did you recognise me?"

"I don't know. You're the only thing I remember completely. But there was someone in thse fight yesterday, a man. He called me something, and it felt familiar…"

"Bucky?" Grace said instinctively. "Does that mean anything to you?"

His eyes lit up "Yes, that's what he called me, the man in the suit, he called that, what does it mean?"

"I think…I think it's your name" she knew it had to be. Captain America, Bucky's best friend had recognised him and called him by that name, it confirmed beyond all doubt that was who was sitting in front of her.

"My name…I have a name!" the joy in his soft voice was growing, for the first time in what seemed like forever, The Winter Soldier had a name, and that meant he had an identity. He was no longer just an asset for HYDRA to use as they please. "But the man, I feel like I knew him? Do you know who he is?"

"I'm no expert, but from what I know his name is Steve Rogers. You two were childhood friends, then there was a war and you – " she stopped. She knew what came next but she didn't have the heart to tell him. She couldn't say that he fell from the train, was thought to be dead by everyone who held him dear but was actually taken and turned into the killing machine he knew himself to be.

"You know what Bucky – you don't mind if I call you Bucky? I know it's strange but I need something to call you…"

"It's fine, it seems almost normal hearing you say it. It's strange."

"Okay, once you've regained your strength and we've got you completely patched up, we're going to take a trip. I think it will help you understand who you are." Better for history to do the talking. She put her hand on his and smiled. There was this connection between them whenever they touched, they felt completely at ease with each other as if they had spent a lifetime together.

"Well, I'll leave you to rest for a while. If you need anything, just shout" Grace rose from the bed and moved round to the side of Bucky to grab an empty glass she had left him the night before. As she turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist with his metal arm –

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, not understanding why anyone would want to offer him help.

"Because you saved me once and I have _never_ for one moment stopped thinking about that day. This is me repaying you for that kindness" she had never sounded more serious. She meant every word. With this, Bucky released her wrist and lowered his eyes. As Grace moved towards the door, he called after her –

"Wait! I don't…know your name" he said rather embarrassed, it hadn't mattered to him but he suddenly realised he needed to know what to call her.

"It's Grace. Grace Mills" she responded with a smile. Then having left the room and closed the door behind her, she stopped for a moment to take in the direction her life had suddenly jolted in. Bucky on the other side of the door, stayed with his eyes fixed on where Grace had just been standing.

"Grace…" he said quietly to himself. He smiled. It was the first moment of genuine happiness he could recall ever experiencing.


	4. Chapter 4 - Memory

It was just past midnight. Grace was sleeping in her bed, Bucky had insisted on moving onto the couch as his injuries had healed over the days he had been in her home. Suddenly, a scream came from the living room, causing Grace to jolt upright and freeze in fear herself. This routine was becoming the norm for her now – she rolled out of bed and headed for the source of the horrifying noise. It was Bucky, he had been having nightmares almost every night since the incident with Captain America, Hydra's grip on him had gone and so had Bucky's ability to remain unaware of his memories. He still did not know who he was, but flashes of missions were haunting his dreams, faces of those he killed being the only things he could see.

"Hey, hey it's okay, you're just dreaming" Grace said rushing over to Bucky, he was lying there with his eyes wide opening, out of breath and sweat pouring down his face. She knelt beside him and held onto his arm.

"There were…these people and I…I" he couldn't bring himself to say what he had just seen. His eyes stared into space and he struggled to speak. He didn't want her knowing how deep the horrors of his days as the Winter Soldier had taken him.

"Please, it was just a dream, don't think on it, it's over now" she knew that these were more flashbacks than dreams, but she couldn't bear to see him in this state. Bucky turned to face her, his face full of sadness.

"Is this all I am? A killer?" He looked so broken and this in turn broke Grace's heart. Over the days that he had been with her, he had seemed to be happier. But since the dreams started, he had begun to question things more – all he saw were the victims of a ruthless murderer, he never saw Hydra as being the one in control, he never saw himself as the true victim.

"Don't you dare think that. Don't you ever think that. Hydra are the killers, you had no control over what you were doing, don't you for one second think that what happened was your fault" she replied, almost like a mother to a child. She had grown to care for this man so much and the idea of him thinking he was nothing crushed her. This is when she knew the time had come to tell him about his past – his _true_ past.

"I think it's time I took you on that little trip I mentioned. You try and get back to sleep, and in the morning I'm going to try and help you remember the real you, because you are so much more than you believe yourself to be" she smiled at him the same smile which had been his greatest comfort since his escape. Grace patted his arm as she rose to leave him in peace, but once more he grabbed her hand and looked up at her with those beautifully expressive eyes of his –

"Stay" he said softly. Grace could not deny him anything, and this small request was one she was happy to oblige. She snuggled in beside him, his head rested on her shoulder. There was no awkwardness or discomfort between them in silence, both happy with each other's presence. As Grace sat there, propped up by one of the cushions, it wasn't long before Bucky had fallen asleep. She looked down at him – he was so peaceful. Thoughts were filling her mind about how far they had come in such a short time, the man who was meant to kill her was now sleeping in her arms and she realised, the whole time she was with Blake, she had never felt like this. She lay her head back and gazed up at the ceiling.

"So. This is love" She whispered to herself. Admitting it for the first time, she knew there was no going back from this. She cared too much. But now was not the time for such things, now was the time to help Bucky find himself and that was her focus.

The next morning, Grace and Bucky arrived outside of the Smithsonian museum. The Captain America exhibition she had read about on the fateful night that nearly claimed her life was still going strong, and she felt this was something she had to show Bucky.

As they stood in front of the entrance to exhibition, Bucky looked nervously at the things in front of him, unsure of why this was so important but scared of what he may discover.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this" he said quietly. Grace had given him a jacket to cover his arm and a baseball cap – she knew it was a clichéd disguise but she'd rather not take the risk of him being recognised by anyone.

"I'm right here. I think…I think this is something you need to do alone. But I will be right behind you if you need me" – neither of them had moved or turned away from looking at the entrance. Bucky began to walk through, but Grace could see he was hesitant. She gave him enough distance to feel alone, but for her to be close enough by should she think he was struggling.

Bucky walked through to the displays and artefacts of the museum, unsure of what exactly he was looking for. He shuffled around the exhibition, terrified of what he might uncover – but he had to know. There had to be something before Hydra, before the Winter Soldier took hold. He came to a large room where there was information about The Howling Commandos, those who had fought alongside Captain America in the days of World War II, each of their uniforms on display except for the Captain's which had mysteriously vanished on the day of his final battle for Hydra. He scanned the room for something which would help him understand why Grace had brought him here when suddenly, his heart stopped.

 _A Fallen Comrade - Bucky Barnes_

That face. That was him. His eyes fixed on this information, he skimmed through it desperate to read quickly –

 _Captured by Hydra. Liberated by none other than his childhood friend Steve Rogers, now Captain America._

His face dropped. A sudden rush of anger was raging inside him. His face looked calm but for the first time, the Winter Soldier was not blind to those who had taken his life away from him. And the strength and anger that filled him on the missions he was given was turning to those who had controlled him for so long. Grace watched from afar as she noticed he had seen what he needed to and as he stood still for so long, she approached cautiously. Standing by his side, she could sense the emotions raging through him and without saying a word, she too looked at the words on the exhibit and held Bucky's hand. He felt a sudden rush of calm come over him whenever they touched, and for now the anger and hatred was suppressed. He squeezed her hand as a way of saying thank you, as he slowly turned guiding Grace back out onto the street. He had seen enough.


	5. Chapter 5 - Calm Before The Storm

The journey home had been one spent in silence. Neither of them quite knew what to say to each other – Grace did not want to say anything that could hurt Bucky, but Bucky did not know quite how to explain the feeling what he had seen had brought on. He had spent much of the journey in deep thought about what exactly had happened to him. There was a whole life he had left behind all those years ago – friends and family, a home, a best friend who had been standing in front of him only a few days ago but he could not recognise from his enemies. These thoughts were eating away at him, so much of his life had been stolen from him by Hydra, and not once did they ever treat him as important or even a human being and the anger was building. But yet, here was this girl next to him who had taken him in, cared for him, had made him feel like a normal human being and that hope supressed the anger. She had turned into the light keeping away the darkness that for so long had consumed him.

They walked through the door of what had become the first idea of home Bucky had known. Without saying a word, Bucky moved towards the sofa as Grace threw her keys down gently on the side and took off her jacket. As she turned to look at him, she struggled to know what to do. Just as she went to say something, there was a loud knock on the door. Grace's heart raced, no one had visited her home in weeks and she had not been expecting anyone to do so since SHIELD was taken down. Bucky turned to her, unsure of what to do.

"My room. Hide" She whispered; she had no idea who was on the other side of that door and she did not want her new roommate to be known to anyone but her. Bucky obeyed and quietly placed himself out of view as Grace opened the door.

"Well finally! I was about to shoot this door down" a familiar voice and face greeted Grace – a visit from Tony Stark was always a welcome one.

"Oh god, Tony you scared the hell out of me!" she smiled and inhaled the breath she had held since she first heard the knock.

"Sorry Grace. How is my favourite not dead girl in hiding?"

"Wow. Such a way with words as always! I'm fine. I mean the whole thing with SHIELD being completely gone was a surprise, but y'know, nothing really to report"

"Well I am glad to hear that. And you've not seen anything…strange around here recently?" Tony's face became serious, almost pained. Grace had never seen him like this, he was always so jokey and carefree, it took her by surprise.

"What do you mean? Tony you look angry, what's wrong?" she enquired hesitantly.

"There's someone I'm looking for. Someone who was last seen before those hellicarriers came crashing out of the sky. I think he may have survived and escaped this way" he replied – Grace began to hope that he had been sent by Steve to help locate Bucky, but she remained secretive, it wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

"Who? Why are you looking for them?" she asked.

"They call him the Winter Soldier. I think he killed my parents" and with those words Grace felt her face drop, but she hoped her emotions had not betrayed what she was thinking. Tony was looking for the man Hydra had controlled, but the man she had hidden in her home was not the same person, at least not to her – Tony would only be blinded by the anger of his parents' death and would never be able to separate Bucky from the Winter Soldier.

"Y-you think…he killed your parents? And you think he's around here?" she tried her best to act calm.

"Yes. And I have to find him, he needs to pay for their lives and the others he took. If you see anything around here Grace, please tell me. He's dangerous" Tony replied as he put one hand on her shoulder. The two of them had always had great laughs together but it was the first time she felt he genuinely worried about her. She thought very highly of Tony and lying to him was hard, but her heart controlled her in this moment and it made sure she protected the man she loved.

"I will, of course" she nodded through a false smile.

"You stay safe. And if you need anything you know where to find me" he smiled at her with that cheeky Tony Stark smile, he could be incredibly arrogant but when he was genuine it was just as Pepper had once said – proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

"You too Stark. And hey – you be careful yourself. Don't go causing any trouble" Grace shouted after him as he started to walk away.

"Me? Trouble? What a completely unlikely combination" he laughed back at her. Within moments he had flown off in his Iron Man suit. She was sad to see her friend leave, but now the knowledge that he was looking for Bucky was playing heavily on her mind.

She closed the door once again, and walked to her room to check that Bucky was alright. At first she could not see him, but he had curled himself up in the corner of her room and he was holding something. He had found a scrapbook that she had been updating and he was flicking through the pages, studying the pictures very carefully. Bucky was so interested in this book all about Grace's life that he had not even notice her enter the room.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Oh. Sorry I didn't…I'll put it back" he jumped almost at her words, he felt guilty for looking without her permission.

"Don't be silly, it's fine" she smiled and walked over to him, sliding down the wall to sit beside him. He carried on flicking through the pictures with Grace looking over them as well. Bucky stopped on one page –

"Who are they?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a couple smiling happily together.

"They're my parents" Grace replied, her face became sad.

"Where are they?"

"They died". Grace had never spoken about her parents to anyone, not Tony, not Blake. Bucky felt a sudden pang of awkwardness. In all the time he had been with her, they had never spoken about her past beyond their first meeting at the Hydra building.

"How?" He asked almost instinctively. Grace's head lowered, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"There was an accident. I was with them but I was so young I barely remember it. I know more about it from the newspaper articles that were splashed around after it happen. All I remember is a sudden bright light and I must have blacked out. But there is something else, I don't know if it's a memory or just something I dreamt – a man carrying me to safety. It's like someone handed me to a paramedic or something, but they didn't hang around long enough to actually help. It's probably just a silly childhood dream I had that I've clung onto to try and fill in some of the gaps"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I never meant to upset you"

"It's okay - I'm actually not upset, I'm…happy" Bucky's face scrunched into a confused expression which made Grace giggle. "It's just, no one has ever asked about my parents. It started to feel as if they had never existed but this just reminds me they were real. And it's been a long time since anyone showed they cared about how I felt"

For some reason, this statement gave Bucky a sudden confidence in himself. Without thinking, he stood up and held his hand out to Grace which she took. The two of them stood close together, barely any distance between their two bodies as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Grace, I want to say…I-uh…I care about how you feel. About you" he spoke gently but nervously. He had had his true human emotions suppressed by his time being used by Hydra that he did not know how best to explain how he was feeling"

"Bucky…" she almost wanted to cut him off, she knew if this was going where she thought it was, she would finally have to admit to herself that she had truly fallen in love again, and that didn't work out so well for her the last time.

"No please, let me at least try to explain" he held Grace's hands in his "Ever since that day, when we first met you've been in my head. I don't know how but through everything, the one thing I've been able to remember is you and there has to be a reason for that. When they told me they had killed you, I begged for my memory to be wiped because I couldn't…I couldn't live with myself knowing that it was because of me. I wasn't supposed to feel, but because of you I did and I do now and I love you Grace"

Grace stood there watching him as he made this admission to her. Those happy tears of hers were back and she couldn't help but wish she wasn't such an emotional mess but with those words "I love you Grace", the waterworks couldn't be stopped.

"Not one day has passed since we first met where I didn't spend it wishing I could've taken you away from Hydra. Knowing that the man I saw when you let me go was in there, it broke my heart. But you're here now and I couldn't be happier. The Winter Soldier may have been who I rescued, but the man in front of me right now and the man who _I_ love is James Barnes. And I do love you, truly, more than I can explain or even understand"

Even Bucky has started to well up at her words, and in a moment of passion he held her face in his hands and the two shared their first kiss. He finally felt fully human once more, the dark days and nightmares were behind him, the future was full of light and hope. This girl was his saving Grace.


End file.
